Maersk Ship Sets New Load Record

The ULCV Mumbai Maersk has broken the 19,000 TEU load mark, setting a new world record at 19,038 TEU. She achieved the new milestone at Tanjung Pelepas, Malaysia, then got under way for Europe. She is expected in Rotterdam on September 5.

The 2018-built Mumbai Maersk is the firm's latest Triple-E class vessel, and has a nameplate capacity of 20,600 TEU.

UASC (now part of Hapag-Lloyd) set a previous record in 2015 when its ULCV Al Muraykh loaded 18,601 containers. Maersk Line's Madison Maersk loaded 18,215 TEU the same year.

The record-breaking load also marks a sign of strategic progress, Maersk said. Tanjung Pelepas is a high-productivity hub terminal, which also benefits Maersk Line. Keith Svendsen, the COO of Maersk-owned APM Terminals, said that the firm's hub ports are currently breaking productivity records.

Tanjung Pelepas is investing heavily to boost its capacity, and expects to be able to handle 13.5 million TEU per year by 2020. The new investments include Southeast Asia's tallest STS cranes, a set of four super-post-Panamax models with a lifting height of more than 55 meters. The port is also buying 29 new RTGs and conducting channel dredging to deepen its harbor to 18 meters.

Tanjung Pelepas is just a few miles from Singapore, which is building out an integrated port complex at Tuas, and regional competition for volume is stiff. In 2016, Tanjung Pelepas ranked 19th-busiest in the world with 8.28 million TEU for the year, about one third of Singapore's traffic.